11 The Park

It was a cool autumn night. Minho entered the park wearing a sleeveless hoodie and sweatpants. Even in casual clothes, he was gaining the attention from the onlookers for his extremely good looks. The hoodie he wore perfectly highlighted his well toned torso and his bulging muscles were visible.

Some women who were also out for a midnight jod were ogling at him.

"Who is that Greek God?" one woman whispered.

"That's Hwang Minho!" her friend whispered. "Don't bother trying to get a date. He may look good but his tongue is sharper than blade. The man just won't date someone unless he sees profit."

"Meaning?"

"It means if you don't earn him any profit for his company then he won't even look at you," the woman stated. "He even rejected the heiress of LM Group citing that her company earned money but she did not."

"Wow," her friend said. "He must have really high standards!"

Minho ignored the whispers around him. They did not bother him at all. People were always quick to judge others which is why he kept social interactions to a bare minimum unless it was profitable.

He kept on jogging along the track. The large trees in the park swayed gently with the breeze. There was a pond by the side with water clear enough to reflect the sky above, illuminated by the moon. It was a calm and peaceful place.

Minho jogged around the park for an hour before he stopped to rest on a bench. Huffing heavily, he leaned against the bench, trying to clear his mind. The cool night breeze helped him to calm down a bit but the anger still remained. The man who destroyed his family…

For the past twenty four years he had been searching for Hwang Junho but to no luck. It was as if the man had just disappeared in thin air. No matter how much Minho tried, he could not find his mother's killer. He did not address him as 'father' anymore but rather as a murderer.

A shadow fell over him. He looked up to see a tall, pretty girl in her twenties. She was fidgeting a little, too shy to talk but he had an inkling that she was going to say something.

"Yes?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "May I help you?"

"Umm…" she started. "M-my name is Song Miyeon. I'm the daughter of the chairman of Lee Corporations. You met him at the gala last month. Lee Sunbin."

"Ahh yes," Minho said warily. "I did."

He did not elaborate but waited for the girl to talk.

"Well, I was wondering if we could hang out sometime," she said, blushing furiously. "Since we are both from elite families. You're the owner of Hwang Constructions and I'm the heiress to my father's company. I think we should give it a shot. If it works out, it'll be profitable to our companies as well. Besides, I've been eyeing you for a while but didn't get the chance to approach you but now that I met you here…"

Minho gazed at her from top to toe. She had the aura of being a pampered heiress. Her jogging suit was no doubt a designer wear and her shoes were also custom made.

"This is my number," she said, hastily scribbling on a paper pad she took out from a bag which hung by her waist. She extended the paper to him.

"Tell me something Ms. Song," Minho said, crossing his arms on his chest. "How much did this jogging suit cost you?"

Miyeon was taken aback by the question.

"Pardon me?"

"I asked how much did this jogging suit cost you?"

"I...I don't know," she replied. "I just went to the shop and paid for it with my dad's card."

"What about those shoes?"

"I-I don't know. Why are you asking me this?"

"I'm just trying to compare your value," Minho stated bluntly. "You see, you're the heiress to your father's company. You're spending your father's money without a care. Hence, you don't know the prices of the things you're wearing. A person who doesn't know the price of their belongings cannot possibly have a value of their own."

Miyeon was offended by the remark.

"Excuse me?" she sneered. "My net worth is over five hundred million dollars-"

"And how much of that did you earn by yourself?" he shot back. "One dollar? Two? Ten?"

Miyeon was affronted. She tried to reply but words would not come out.

"That money was given to you by your family," he pointed out. "It's not yours. So in reality, your net worth is zero. If your company goes bankrupt, you won't have anything to your name. No value. Nothing. So tell me, how exactly are you profitable to me?"

Silence. She could not reply to anything he asked her. Instead, she clutched her fingers to a fist.

"I believe this meeting is over," Minho announced, getting up to leave.

"Why you-"

Miyeon stepped forward to hit him but Minho slid sideways causing her to trip and fall flat on her face.

"AHHHH!" she screamed in pain, holding her knee. It was scraped.

"You pushed me!" she accused. Minho raised his eyebrows.

"I believe you were the one who tried to hit me," he said coolly but Miyeon screamed louder.

"This man pushed me!" she yelled. People were starting to gather around them, trying to fathom what was happening. Minho kept his calm as the girl hurled accusations.

"What happened?" one man asked aloud. "Why is she screaming?"

"He pushed me!" Miyeon pointed at Minho. "I rejected his offer for a date so he pushed me!"

Another man stepped up and told Minho, "You should apologize! That's assault!"

"I didn't push her," Minho sighed.

"Someone call the police!" Another woman shouted. There was a murmur of agreement. Minho shook his head, not bothering to explain. The CCTV camera would give away her lie anyway so there was no use in protesting.

"Go ahead," he smirked, taking everyone by surprise.

"Y-yeah call the police!" Miyeon ordered. "He pushed me and hurt me!"

One of the men took out his phone to call when there was a shout from the back of the crowd.

"I'm from the police!"

Everyone turned around to see a round faced girl with dark eyes approaching the commotion. She was holding out her badge for everyone to see. Minho did not bother to look but was busy texting his secretary to bring a lawyer.

"Thank god detective!" Miyeon said, staggering up. "That man pushed me because I rejected him!"

She pointed at Minho, who was still typing on the phone. Minho had just pressed the send button when his phone was snatched from his hands.

"Hey what are-"

He looked up and nearly exclaimed, his words getting stuck in his throat. Standing in front of him was a very familiar face.

"Explain everything at the police station punk!" Gayoon threatened.